On March 30th 1996, the Greenville County Recreation District (Greenville, SC, Joe's hometown) dedicated the old Brandon Mill baseball field in Joe's name. There were old textile league ball players there that knew Joe, a lot of Joe's relatives were there. About 7 former Major Leaguers were there, a few TV news agencies and newspaper reporters were on hand. It was a very cold day in Greenville with overcast skies, but that didn't dampen the mood as more than a thousand people turned out to help dedicate the field where Joe got his first start. They were selling Joe Jackson t-shirts, caps, posters and even bricks from the old Comiskey Park. After the dedication, little league teams played throughout the day.
The South Carolina Legislature PASSED legislation in 1996 to change the name of a portion of the road that runs near the Brandon Mill baseball field in honor of Joe. The Shoeless Joe Jackson Memorial Highway, Thank you Rep. Rice for introducing this bill and helping to get it passed.
Joe Jackson's Last Will and Testament will remain the property of the courts. The American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association have been in a legal battle with the State of South Carolina, as to who owns the will. The will was left as part of the estate of Katie Jackson. Mrs Jackson left half her estate to the American Cancer Society and half to the American Heart Association. Both organizations claimed ownership of the will, which has one of the known signatures of Joe Jackson affixed to it. The organizations wanted to be able to sell the will to raise money for their causes. They went to court and have been in a legal battle for some time now, the courts ruled recently that the will was the property of the state for 75 years.
On March 30th 1996, the Greenville County Recreation District (Greenville, SC, Joe's hometown) dedicated the old Brandon Mill baseball field in Joe's name. There were old textile league ball players there that knew Joe, a lot of Joe's relatives were there. About 7 former Major Leaguers were there, a few TV news agencies and newspaper reporters were on hand. It was a very cold day in Greenville with overcast skies, but that didn't dampen the mood as more than a thousand people turned out to help dedicate the field where Joe got his first start. They were selling Joe Jackson t-shirts, caps, posters and even bricks from the old Comiskey Park. After the dedication, little league teams played throughout the day.